Escaping Reality
by nihongirl
Summary: FE:TSS... Running away is hardly ever easy, especially if you left something behind... SethxEirika ... Kinda Crossover between continents. R


**Summary: Escaping life is hardly ever easy, especially if you left something behind...**

**Fire Emblem, or any of its characters and places, does not belong to me in anyway. It belongs to Nintendo and Intelligent Systems, respectfully. However any original characters do belong to me.**

_**(note: This takes place around the time, or after the wars of the three games, Fire Emblem: Blazing Sword, Fire Emblem: The Sacred Stones and Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance.)**_

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_Prolouge_

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_Castle Renais...one month after the war..._

Castle Renais was sent into turmoil the night the beloved princess, Eirika, disappeared. The night had been set up for a dinner party the twin heirs of Renais had set up. It had been planned shortly after the War of the Stones to celebrate its end.

When Ephraim sent a steward to call for Eirika and he came back from her room alone, the prince had been puzzled, but not all that worried. She had said that she would be there, but she may have needed to talk a walk. She had been quite uneasy lately. Something was definitely bothering her, but she had failed to confide in her brother exactly what it was.

Seth on the other hand, was somewhat worried. Eirika had never been late to an occasion including other people besides herself, and this was no exception. True, she had obviously had a lot on her mind in recent times, following the end of the war, but that only served to make him more worried. His eyes remained glued to the door where her entrance was expected to be.

After ten minutes had past, L'Arachel, who had been spending most of the time waiting in impatience was the first to speak. "Perhaps, dear friends, instead of just _waiting _here, we should send out someone to find her."

"Ah..." Ephraim started, "Well, yes. I guess that would be slightly more convenient." He turned to the three knights standing behind him. "Forde, Kyle, Franz. Please find my sister and remind her we are _waiting._"

The three knights nodded and left the room. Upon reaching the outside hall they spoke briefly, suggesting places to look, including Eirika's well known favorite spots: her balcony that overlooked the courtyard, a bench in the courtyard itself, and the royal flower garden. When no princess was neither seen nor found, after fifteen minutes, the three comrades returned to the dining hall with nothing to report.

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It took two hours of frantic searching for the beautiful heir to the throne for everyone to realize that Eirika was not in the castle or it's grounds. Ephraim sat down, exhausted yet anxious in a large chair. "Where is she!?" he cried out, "You don't think she's been kidnapped, do you!?"

The same thing had been running through the famed Silver Knight's mind. At least, it had at first, but then the more he thought about it, the more unlikely it seemed. They had just recently come out of a war. There were still guards placed throughout the castle. If someone had tried to kidnap her, surely Eirika would have cried out. Someone would have heard her. Unless... someone had taken her out before she even had time to scream. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of someone hurting her. No, that could not be it. He knew the princess well enough to know that she could defend herself.

"My lord, if I may..."

"Go ahead, Seth..." Ephraim said, wearily. Obviously all the frantic searching was beginning to take its toll.

"I am not so sure that Princess Eirika was kidnapped."

"Oh?" Ephraim eyes immediately focused on Seth. "What then, do you think?"

"I know not what to think about the princess's disappearance... but all the evidence I can think of leads to one thing..."

"That is?" Ephraim prodded.

"Prince Ephraim... I believe she left on her own accord."

"WHAT!? Why would she... no warning, no goodbye? It doesn't make sense..." Ephraim trailed off.

"Prince Ephraim... I would also like to think it is not true, but..." Seth trailed off.

"Ephraim." said Tana. Ephraim jumped slightly. This was the first time Tana had spoken since they finished looking for Eirika. He had almost forgotten that she was in the room.

"Yes, Tana?" Ephraim asked.

"I..I agree with Seth." she said. "For the past month, Eirika has had growing distress due to... well..." she glanced at Seth, but then carried on. "Anyway... She has also been under a lot of pressure lately... I think she may have had enough. She told me herself in a letter that she didn't know if she could take it."

"It was really that bad...? Sister..." Ephraim said quietly. He looked out the window. "Well... she has no means of transportation, she can't be far off."

Seth thought about what Tana had said. Had Princess Eirika really been feeling that way? She certainly never obviously displayed it, though sometimes she seemed different, as if strained to smile at times.

There was a knock at the door and a soldier came in. He bowed. "Prince Ephraim. General Seth. Lady Tana," he addressed them.

Seth snapped out of his thoughts. He recognized the soldier. "What is it, Murphy?" he asked.

"One of the horses from the royal stable is gone, sir." the soldier answered.

"What!?" Ephraim stood abruptly. "Are you sure?"

"Yes sire... the horse is no longer on castle grounds."

"And whose horse, may I ask?" Ephraim asked.

"P..Princess Eirika's, Your Highness."

"Show me..." Ephraim said and strode out of the room. Tana followed close behind.

Seth remained behind for a moment. "Eirika..." he whispered.

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Nineteen days later a young woman arrived at Port Kiris, Carcino, on horseback. She was about eighteen. She had long blue, almost aqua colored hair. Her eyes were like bright sapphires. And though her face was shadowed by a hood, they were easy to distinguish.

The girl was looking for passage to the continent of Tellius.

She signed her name as Erina, a mercenary.

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**Well that about wraps up the prologue. I personally thought that this first chapter was kinda choppy, and short... but there's not much I can do to it.**

**This is a story mainly based around Seth and Eirika... but if you want a complete list...**

**EirikaxSeth, EphraimxTana, InnesxVanessa, and then some minor pairings... LutexArtur, NeimixColm, KylexSyrene, FranzxAmelia, NatashaxJoshua, GerikxMarisa, KnollxOC and then a bunch of other OcxOC's. **

**If you didn't catch it, and if you didn't don't feel bad, 'cause it was barely implied: When Tana was talking about Eirika being all distressed and all, she was referring to Seth & Eirika's -what's the word..- forbidden love, (Let's call it that. It was all I could think of. ) and how Eirika felt as though it was unrequited. You have to have read their A Support conversation... just ask me if you want me to post it at the end of the next chapter. **

**Hopefully -unless you chose Ephraim's story, or haven't gotten to a certain chapter yet- it was easy to figure out who Erina is.**

**Please read and Review!**

**Sayonara**


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